Internet printing method, system thereof, proxy unit and print server

• US 20030030843A1
• Filed: 01/17/2002
• Published: 02/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Qiao, Jingyu
• Granted Patent: US 7,177,043 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1204 resulting in reduced user or operator actions, e.g. presetting, automatic actions, using hardware token storing data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1229 Printer resources management or printer maintenance, e.g. device status, power levels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1236 Connection management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1245 by conversion to intermediate or common format
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1287 via internet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00209 Transmitting or receiving image data, e.g. facsimile data, via a computer, e.g. using e-mail, a computer network, the internet, I-fax

Abstract

The Internet printing system for a client perform printing out to a print server that cannot circumvent a firewall by the Internet Printing Protocol (IPP). For a print server which cannot circumvent the firewall by IPP, a proxy unit which can communicate using IPP is installed on the Internet. A server site of the print server is opened on the proxy unit, and an IPP client regards the print server as a public IPP server opened on the Internet, and exchanges printing service requests and responses via the proxy unit. Since the proxy unit performs gateway conversion from IPP into another protocol, the client can print out to the print server circumventing the firewall by using IPP.

Claims

1. An Internet printing method for a client to control the printing of a print server via the Internet using the Internet Printing Protocol, comprising:

a step of opening a server site of said print server in a proxy unit on said Internet according to a request from one of said client and said print server;

a step of accessing said server site using said Internet Printing Protocol with said client; and

a step of converting the printing service request of said client using said Internet Printing Protocol into a protocol which allows circumventing the firewall of said print server, and transferring said converted printing service request to said print server according to said access.

2. The Internet printing method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of returning the execution result of said printer server for said printing service request to said proxy unit, and returning the execution result to said client from said proxy unit using said Internet Printing Protocol.

3. The Internet printing method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of connecting said proxy unit and said print server according to the connection request from said print server.

4. The Internet printing method according to claim 3, wherein said proxy unit plays the role of a server and said print server plays the role of a client when said proxy unit and said print server are connected, and said proxy unit plays the role of a client and said print server plays the role of a server when said printing service is requested after said connection.

5. The Internet printing method according to claim 1, further comprising:

a step of transmitting a printing command from said client to said print server using a protocol which can circumvent said firewall; and

a step of connecting said proxy unit and said print server according to the connection request from said print server corresponding to said printing command.

6. The Internet printing method according to claim 1, further comprising:

a step of transmitting a printing command from said client to said proxy unit using said Internet Printing Protocol;

a step of transferring said printing command from said proxy unit to said print server using a protocol which can circumvent said firewall; and

a step of connecting said proxy unit and said print server according to the connection request from said print server corresponding to said transferred printing command.

7. The Internet printing method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of constantly connecting said proxy unit and said print server according to the connection request from said print server.

8. An Internet printing system for a client to control the printing for a print server via the Internet using the Internet Printing Protocol, comprising:

said client for communicating at least by using the Internet Printing Protocol;

said print server which is protected by a firewall on said Internet and for executing a printing request; and

a proxy unit for opening a server site of said print server according to a request from one of said client and said print server, converts the printing service request of said client using said Internet Printing Protocol into a protocol which allows circumventing the firewall of said print server at the access of said client to said server site by said Internet Printing Protocol, and transfers the request to said print server.

9. The Internet printing system according to claim 8, wherein said print server returns the execution result for said printing service request to said proxy unit and said proxy unit returns said execution result to said client using said Internet Printing Protocol.

10. The Internet printing system according to claim 8, wherein said proxy unit is connected to said print server according to the connection request from said print server.

11. The Internet printing system according to claim 10, wherein said proxy unit plays the role of a server and said print server plays the role of a client when said proxy unit and said print server are connected, and said proxy unit plays the role of a client and said print server plays the role of a server when said printing service is requested after said connection.

12. The Internet printing system according to claim 8, wherein said client transmits a printing command to said print server using a protocol which can circumvent said firewall, and said proxy unit connects with said print server according to the connection request from said print server corresponding to said printing command.

13. The Internet printing system according to claim 8, wherein said client transmits a printing command to said proxy unit using said Internet Printing Protocol, and said proxy unit transfers said printing command to said print server using a protocol which can circumvent said firewall, and connects with said print server according to the connection request from said print server corresponding to said transferred printing command.

14. The Internet printing system according to claim 8, wherein said proxy unit is constantly connected with said print server according to the connection request from said print server.

15. A proxy unit for a client to control the printing for a print server via the Internet using the Internet Printing Protocol, comprising:

a server site of said print server to be opened according to the request from one of said client and said print server; and

an exchanger for converting a printing service request of said client by the Internet Printing Protocol to a protocol which allows circumventing the firewall of said print server at the access of said client to said server site by said Internet Printing Protocol, and for transferring the request to said print server.

16. The proxy unit according to claim 15, wherein said exchanger receives the execution result of said print server for said printing service request and returns to said client by said Internet Printing Protocol.

17. The proxy unit according to claim 15, wherein said proxy unit connects with said print server according to the connection request from said print server.

18. The proxy unit according to claim 17, wherein said proxy unit plays the role of a server and said print server plays the role of a client when said proxy unit and said print server are connected, and said proxy unit plays the role of a client and said print server plays the role of a server when said printing service is requested after said connection.

19. A printer server for a client to control printing via the Internet using the Internet Printing Protocol, comprising:

a network interface unit for communicating; and

a processing unit for requesting to a proxy unit installed on said Internet to open a server site of said print server, receiving a printing service request from said proxy unit where a printing service request of said client by Internet Printing Protocol is converted into a protocol which allows circumventing the firewall of said print server at the access of said client to said server site by said Internet Printing Protocol, and executing said printing service request.

20. The print server according to claim 19, wherein said proxy unit plays the role of a server and said print server plays the role of a client when said proxy unit and said print server are connected, and said proxy unit plays the role of a client and said print server plays the role of a server when said printing service is requested after said connection.